Signal apparatus for autovehicles.



T.. KITAoKA. SIGNAL APPAATUS F 0R AUTOVEHICLES. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19 :1915.

`1,21 5,661 Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

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T.'KITAOKA. SIGNAL APPARATUS FOR AUTOVEHICLES.

APPLICATION man FEB. 19. 1916. I Patented P61113, 1917.

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TORA'KI KITAOKA, OF PASADENA, CALIFORNIA.

SIGNAL APPARATUS FOR AUTOVHICLES.

Application led February 19, 1916. L Serial N o. 79,455.

l To all whom z't may concern:

- Be it known that I, ToRAKr KITAOKA, a.

subject of the Emperor of Japan, residing at Pasedena, county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented a certain new and useful Signal Apparatus for -Autovehicles; and I do hereby declare the following to be `a full, clear, 'and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to signal apparatus for alito vehicles; and it may be said to consist in the provision ,of the novel and advantageousl features and' in the novel and `improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts as will be apparent from the description and claims which follow hereinafter.l

One object'of the invention ris to provide a novel and improved signal apparatus which can be readily applied -to existing 5 auto vehicles, and isadapted to indicate beforehand at a distance fore and aft of the auto vehicle whether the operator of the autovehicle intends to ,turn it to the right or to the left.

[Further objects ofthe invention are t'o providea novel and im 'roved apparatus of the nature specified which issimplein construction and economical to manufacture,

install, and maintain, easy to operate, con-- venieiit to use, effective in action, and which can' be used as side lights, and is adapted for `both 'day'. and night service.

Other'objects and the advantagesof the invention'will be apparent t'o those skilled in the art from alcareful consideration of the following description of the preferred 49' form of construction embodying the inven- "tion, taken 1n connectlon with the accompanying drawings in which'- Figure 1 is a partly broken front view of .an auto vehicle having the invention apa broken perspective view of one ofthe rack plied thereto; Fig. 2 is an enlarged broken elevational View showing the signal arm in partly expanded condition; Fig. 3 is a plan view ofthe same; Fig. 4 is an enlargedl cross sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is Abars connected'to the lazy tongs; Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of the signal apparatus attached to the' frame. of the windshield;

Fig. 8 is a broken sectional view taken on` Specicaticin of Letters Patent.

)as seen in Fig. 5. Conductors 28 Patented Feb. 13, l1917.

The frame l2 of the signal apparatus is provided withv a flange 13 whereby it is secured by bolts 16 or other suitablemeans to the side of the frame 14 of the windshield 15 which is mounted on'the auto'vehicle 15'. The frame 12 is preferably made in the form of-a box or casing provided with a cover plate 17, y which is held in place by the screws 18. On the cover plate 17 are arranged the spaced guides 19 having thereon the lugs or ears 20 on which is mounted the pivot 21. The guides 19 are preferably secured by screws 22 to the cover plate 17, .and have at their ends the crosspieces 23. Rack bars 24 and.24 are slidably fittedl against the guides 19 and have their end portions passing freely through openings 25 in the crosspieces 23. The expansible signal arm 26 preferably consists offa lazy tongs which has on one end thereof the visual lsignal consisting of thevhand 27 and the electric lamp 28 which is preferably arranged in an t'rally by the pivots 32 and 32. -The bars 30 and 31 which are mounted on the pivot 21 preferably have theend portions thereof which are mounted on said pivot enlarged and connected by links 34 and35, and links 34 and 35, to the rack bars 24 and 24'.; the links 34 and 35 being arranged side by side and having opposite ends' connected to the rack bar 24 and the bar 30, and thelinks 34 and 35 being arranged side by side and having opposite ends connected to the rack bar 24 and the bar 31, see Fig. 8,. in such manner that when the signal arm 26 is in. the full expanded condition the links 34 and 35 andthe links 34 and 35 are disposed substantially at right ,angles to each other passing through guides 29 onthe signal arm 26 and frame 12 are connected to the electric lamp 28 and to a suitable source, not shown, of electric current supply. In mesh with the rack bars 24 and 24 is a pinion 36 Which When rotated in one direction moves the rack bars 24 and 24 in opposite directions to each other and causes the links 34 and and the links 34 and 35 to expand the signal arm 26 to display the visual signals 27 and 28; when the pinion 36 is rotated in the other direction it moves the rack bars 24 and 24 back to their former position and causes the links 34 and 35 and the links 34 and 35 to contract the signal. arm 26.

Any suitable operating mechanism may be connected to the pinion 36 to operate the 'signal apparatus; that shown consisting of the shaft 37 which passes plate 17 and has one end thereof secured to the pinion 36 and has 011 its other end the crank disk 38 which is provided With a wrist-pin 39 on which is pivotally mounted the arm 40 to Which is connected one end of a coil spring 41 which has its otherend connected to the cover plate 17 of the frame 12. Between guides 42 on the cover plate 17 is arranged a. slide 43 which contacts with one end of a bar 44 which is adapted to fit in notches 45 at the opposite sides of the slide 43 and has its other end portion pivotally mounted on the Wrist-pin 39. The slide 43 preferably has its side portions 46 extending through the guides 42. Retracting springs 47 are connected to the side portions 46 and to the cover plate 17 of the frame 12. and a wire or cord 48 is attached to the side portions 46 and passes through guides 4f) to the steering post 50. A handle or knob 5l at the end of the Wire or cord 48 expedites pulling the latter to operate the slide 43. By referring ,to Figs. 9, 10, and 11, it will be understood that when the cord through the cover v 48 is pulled the slide 43 is moved against the tension of the springs 47 and moves the bar 44 so that the latter rotates the crank disk 38 and arm 40 to the position shown in Fig. 10 and -tensions the spring 41. Then the cord 48 is released the springs 47 act to return the slide 43 to its normal'.'posi tion and the spring 41 acts to move the crank disk 38 to the position shown in Fig. 11 and causes the end portion of the bar 44 to move against the stop or post 52 so that the bar 44 is swung fio the opposite side of the slide 43. The rotation of the crank disk 38 as just described results in rotation of the pinion 36 and movement of the rack bars 24 and 24 to cause the links 34 and 35 and links 34 and 35 to expand the lazy tongs and place the Signal arm 3G in the operative condition. If now the cord 48 is again pulled and released it will be seen that the crank disk 38 is rotated in a re verse direction, the bar 44 is moved against Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents` each, by addressing the the post 53 and swung to the other ,Side of the slide 43, and the pinion 36,'1iidves the rack bars 24 and 24 to cause the links 34 and 35`and links 34 and 35 to contract the lazy tongs and place the signal arm 26 in inoperative condition. The signal apparatus can be placed on either or both sides of the auto vehicle 15', and if desired it can be used as a side light by mounting a shield or panel 54 in front of the signal apparatus; said shield or panel 54 extending substantially at right angles to the auto vehicle 15 and having an opening 55 directly in front of the electric lamp 28. v

The construction which has been particularly illustrated and described admits of changes and modifications'wherefore the right is reserved to all such changes and modiications as do not depart from vthe spirit and scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

I :laim:

1. The combination of a. frame, a pivot thereon, rack bars slidably mounted onthe frame, a lazy tongs arm mounted on said pivot and carrying nections between the lazyv tongs and the rack bars, a pinion in mesh vvith said rack bars, a. shaft connected. to the pinion, a crank disk secured to said shaft and provided Wit- 'a wrist-pin, a slide mounted on said fraiuc, a retracting spring connected to said slide and to said frame, an arm pivotally mounted on the Wrist-pin, a tension spring nected to said' arm 'and to" said frame, a bar having one end portion'thereof mounted on said wrist-pin and having its other end normally in contact with said slide, means for operating' the slide, and posts arranged adjacent to said crank forth.

2. The combination of a frame, a signal arm. mounted thereon,v a slide, a retracting spring connected to the slide andto the fr con-v pivotally Y disk, substantially as and *for` the purposev's'et frame, a crank disk having a wrist-pin thereon, means operatively connecting the signal arm to the crank disk, an arm pivotally mounted on the Wrisbpin, a tension spring connected to said arm and to said frame, abar having one end portion thereof pivotally mounted on said Wrist-pin 'and having its other end normally in contact with said slide, means for operating the slide, crank disk substantially as and for the lpurpose set forth.

In testimony whereof, 1 have signed my' name to this specification at Los Angeles, county of Los Angeles, State of California,

' this 12th day of February A. 1916.v

'romani kiTAoKA.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

and posts arranged-adjacent to said 

